The crew lost, and everyone was sucked into the AtlanticOcean, third mate Daniel Cleveland told federal investigators onFriday. One crew member died, and Captain Robin Walbridge, 63,was lost at sea and presumed dead.

Coast Guard helicopters rescued the other 14 crew members onOct. 29.

The ship, a replica of the 18th-century HMS Bounty that washeaded for Florida, filled with water, and before the crew coulddeploy life rafts and abandon ship, the three-mast, 180-foot(55-meter) vessel rolled over and threw them into the ocean,Cleveland said.

"The water grabbed onto all of us, no matter where youwere," Cleveland said. "You're being thrown around, you're beinghit by things. I broke a couple of ribs."

The third mate's testimony came during a hearing beingconducted in Portsmouth, Virginia, as part of an investigationby the U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation SafetyBoard.

In Tuesday's testimony, the first mate said he had urged thecaptain three times to abandon ship before he was heeded.

Investigators are considering a variety of factors for thesinking, including the sea-worthiness of the wooden ship, whichwas built for the 1962 movie "Mutiny on the Bounty."

Cleveland said the ship's frames, which support the hull,had some rot, which has been raised as a concern by others butdid not worry him.

A number of repairs were made before the ship departed,including the replacement of some rotted planks.

Walbridge, the captain, had called a meeting before Bounty'sdeparture from New London, Connecticut, and told the crew theycould skip the trip if they were worried about the weather.

"Nobody decided to leave," Cleveland said.

The ship was bound for its winter berth in St. Petersburg,Florida. The captain planned to get east of Hurricane Sandy andsouth of Cape Hatteras off North Carolina's coast as quickly aspossible, Cleveland said.

"He believed a ship is safer at sea," Cleveland testified.

The Bounty had sailed behind, but not in front of,hurricanes in the past, and the water pumps had previously beenable to keep up, Cleveland said.

The captain reassured the crew about the likelihood of aCoast Guard rescue and talked about plans for abandoning ship,Cleveland said.

"He was very calm, but he wanted to make everyone very awarethat the situation was a real situation," Cleveland said.

The Bounty was about 160 miles (260 km) from the eye of thehurricane when it foundered.

First mate John Svendsen testified on Tuesday he asked thecaptain three times to abandon ship and disagreed withWalbridge's decision to wait.

"I said, 'I think it's time to abandon ship,'" Svendsensaid. "He said, 'I think we've got more time.' By the thirdtime, I just made a dramatic gesture to put the left arm of myemergency (suit) on, and he said, 'OK, I trust we should abandonship.'"

Cleveland said the last time he saw Walbridge was when heheard Svendsen tell the captain the bow was under water.Walbridge had hurt his back after being thrown against a tableby the rolling boat, Cleveland said.

Testimony from other crew members was due to continue onMonday. It will be months before the Coast Guard releases itsfinal report, a Coast Guard officer said.